In a last-minute surprise, former Minnesota House Minority Leader Matt Entenza of St. Paul filed Tuesday to challenge state Auditor Rebecca Otto in the Aug. 12 DFL primary.

On the last day of the two-week filing period for candidates for state offices, Entenza entered the secretary of state's office 15 minutes before closing time and plopped down his registration fee and forms.

The unsuccessful 2010 gubernatorial candidate said Otto, with whom he served in the state House, is a "lovely person," but that he would be a more broadly focused and forceful auditor.

"A state auditor has to do more than just balance the books," he said.

"We need an auditor who will fight more aggressively to protect pensions, go after corporate giveaways at the local level. An auditor should scrutinize education spending to see why the achievement gap is still so bad, and the auditor also has to stand up on civil rights and civil liberties issues."

Otto said Entenza's challenge was unexpected, but she noted she was unanimously endorsed at the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention Saturday in Duluth.

Otto said she was confident she will be re-elected.

"I have tremendous support behind me," she said.

She said she has been campaigning for months, has a solid organization "and I'll be running on my strong record."

Entenza's bombshell topped a zany finale as candidates rushed to get on the ballot.

Another former DFL House member from St.

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Paul filed to run for attorney general as a Green Party candidate, and a Republican lawmaker who finished near the bottom in his party's balloting for the U.S. Senate endorsement last weekend decided to run in the GOP primary anyway.

Former DFL state Rep. Andy Dawkins, who represented a St. Paul House district for 15 years, said he decided to run for the state's top legal job as a Green Party candidate because the Democratic and Republican parties are "tied into big money," and he wants to represent the underdogs.

"This is the beginning of the end of big money in politics in Minnesota," he said.

Republican state Rep. Jim Abeler of Anoka filed to run for the U.S. Senate against Mike McFadden, who was endorsed at the GOP state convention Saturday in Rochester. Abeler was forced to drop out of the endorsement contest after the second ballot because of low vote totals.

That muddies the water a bit for McFadden in his bid to take on incumbent Democrat Al Franken, but Abeler hasn't shown yet he'll be a significant challenge.

He had about $14,000 in cash on hand at the end of March compared with McFadden's $1.8 million. Abeler discounted the importance of McFadden's fundraising lead.

"Is this a time when big money is going to decide who's going to be our senators and our congressmen and our governors and our presidents?" he asked.

Abeler said that he's convinced he can make a difference and that McFadden isn't as qualified.

"I don't believe he is the person who can solve the problems that I see being there," he said. "I don't think you can govern by slogans."

He acknowledges the challenge is daunting.

"I didn't say it would be easy," he said "I have a lot of shoes. We're going to wear out some shoes."

Entenza could pump a lot of money into the typically low-budget auditor's race. In his 2010 race for governor, his campaign led the field by spending $5.7 million -- most of it his own money -- on a DFL primary in which he finished third.

"I will aggressively fundraise," he said, but he would not disclose how much cash he'll contribute.

Entenza, 52, served six terms in the House from 1995 to 2007. He was the DFL caucus leader during his last four years in the chamber. He is the founder and a senior fellow at Minnesota 2020, a liberal think tank.

A lawyer, he said he's qualified to be auditor because he's a former assistant attorney general with a background in forensic accounting and prosecuting white-collar crime.

In the attorney general's race, Dawkins, 63, is trying to unseat DFL incumbent Lori Swanson, who is seeking a third term. He said her office is too political and weak in protecting consumer interests.

Republican Scott Newman and the Independence Party's Brandan Borgos also are running for attorney general.

Dawkins, a lawyer for 35 years, is married to former DFL state Sen. Ellen Anderson, who until last month was an energy adviser to Gov. Mark Dayton.

He said he has long supported Green Party candidates and policies but could not switch parties while Anderson was working for Dayton. When she left for a new post at the University of Minnesota, "I was a free agent," he said.

"I love Democrats. I'm married to one," he said. "But I need to see some action. It's time voters had an authentic choice that is not a Democrat and not a Republican."

Asked if his wife would vote for him, Dawkins predicted she would "in the end."

One potential candidate who did not file was former state Rep. Phil Krinkie

He had said he planned to challenge Republican-endorsed candidate Tom Emmer for the 6th District congressional seat being vacated by Michele Bachmann. But on Tuesday he said: "Given the momentum of the Republican endorsement process, matched with the realities of a three-way primary, it has become clear that the responsible decision is to exit the contest and return my focus to advancing the conservative agenda in Minnesota."

Anoka County Board Chairwoman Rhonda Sivarajah is running against Emmer in the GOP primary.

Many other familiar names will be on the November ballot, including several perennial candidates who almost never win.

One such hopeful is Dick Franson, 85, of Minneapolis, who is running in the DFL primary for secretary of state.

This is his 30th bid for elective office, even though he hasn't won since 1963, when he was elected to the Minneapolis City Council.

Why does he keep running?

"Because it's fun," Franson said. "I want to talk about the issues that are important to me, and it helps me stay busy because your mind's always working."